The present invention relates to process control transmitters of the type used in industrial process monitoring and control systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to transmitters which measure process variables in high temperature environments.
Process monitoring and control systems are used to monitor and control operation of industrial processes. Industrial processes are used in manufacturing to produce various products such as refined oil, pharmaceuticals, paper, foods, etc. In large scale implementations, these processes must be monitored and controlled in order to operate within the desired parameters.
“Transmitter” has become a term which is used to describe the devices which couple to the process equipment and are used to sense a process variable. Example process variables include pressure, temperature, flow, and others. Frequently, a transmitter is located at a remote location (i.e., in the “field”), and transmits the sensed process variable back to a centrally located control room. Various techniques are used for transmitting the process variable including both wired and wireless communications. One common wired communication technique uses what is known as a two wire process control loop in which a single pair of wires is used to both carry information as well as provide power to the transmitter. One well established technique for transmitting information is by controlling the current level through the process control loop between 4 mA and 20 mA. The value of the current within the 4–20 mA range can be mapped to corresponding values of the process variable.
One type of transmitter is a pressure transmitter. In general, a pressure transmitter is any type of a transmitter which measures a pressure of a fluid of the process. (The term fluid includes both gas and liquids and their combination.) Pressure transmitters can be used to measure pressures directly including differential, absolute or gauge pressures. Further, using known techniques, pressure transmitters can be used to measure flows of the process fluid based upon a pressure differential in the process fluid between two locations.
Typically, a pressure transmitter includes a pressure sensor which couples to the pressure of the process fluid through an isolation system. The isolating system can comprise, for example, a isolation diaphragm which is in physical contact with the process fluid and an isolation fill fluid which extends between the isolation diaphragm and the pressure sensor. The fill fluid preferably comprises a substantially incompressible fluid such as an oil. As the process fluid exerts a pressure on the isolation diaphragm, changes in the applied pressure are conveyed across the diaphragm, through the isolation fluid and to the pressure sensor. Such isolation systems prevent the delicate components of the pressure sensor from being directly exposed to the process fluid.
In some process environments, the process fluid may experience relatively high temperatures. However, typically transmitters have a maximum operating temperature of 250–300° F. Even in cases where the transmitter can withstand the high temperature, temperature extremes can still cause errors in pressure measurements. In processes which have temperatures which exceed the maximum temperature of the pressure transmitter, the transmitter itself must be located remotely from the process fluid and coupled to the process fluid using a long capillary tube. The capillary tube can run many feet and an isolation fluid is carried in tube. One end of the tube mounts to the process through an isolation diaphragm and the other end of the tube couples to the pressure transmitter. This long capillary tube and isolation diaphragm is generally referred to as a “remote seal.”
The introduction of the remote seal configuration increases the cost and complexity of the installation and reduces the accuracy of the pressure measurements. Further, the additional components provide another source of possible failure of the device.